PA to Head and Deputy Head of Junior School

The Portsmouth Grammar School is a leading co-educational day school known for excellent teaching, superb pastoral care and wide-ranging co-curricular opportunities. 

The PA to Head and Deputy Head of Junior School is responsible for providing comprehensive and confidential administrative, secretarial and organisational support to the Head and Deputy Head.  The successful candidate will have experience of a similar role within a professional environment supporting at senior level. 

This is a term time role plus an additional 2 weeks in the school holidays. The allocation of working days in holiday periods will be as agreed with the Head of the Junior School, usually at the start or end of the school holiday periods.

Some flexibility is required to support occasional evening or weekend events such as Saturday Open Mornings and to work additional hours as necessary. The hours of work are 40 hours each week from 8.30 am to 5.00 pm each day, with a 30-minute unpaid lunchbreak each day.

The start date will be 1st September 2021.

Duties and Responsibilities 

The duties and responsibilities of the role will include but are not restricted to:

• Planning and managing the Head & Deputy’s diary, appointments and reminder systems in order to make the most effective use of their time and ensuring the smooth running of the office 

• Dealing proactively with incoming and outgoing correspondence to and from the Head’s Office, including drafting letters and emails, in order to ensure appropriate and timely responses to all communications 

• Managing the daily folder and ensuring all papers are prepared in advance for meetings and conferences 

• Filing of paperwork, including personnel files and confidential filing 

• Arranging all CPD interviews with the Head and Deputy and the associated paperwork 

• Making welcome the Head’s visitors, receiving incoming telephone calls and other messages; responding on behalf of the Head to routine enquiries. Ensuring that all visitors to the Head receive an efficient, professional, approachable and welcoming service, in line with the ethos of the school 

• Preparing, editing and processing documents, reports and presentation materials to a high standard, and to agreed timescales, using appropriate software packages 

• Planning and organising internal and external meetings as required by the Head, ensuring that appropriate information, facilities and refreshments are provided; making travel arrangements if required 

• Preparing agendas and papers for meetings and taking minutes where needed 

• Supporting a service-oriented ‘can-do’ approach and a culture of support within the administrative team, contributing to mutually supportive working relationships between academic and support staff 

• Developing administrative systems and maintaining records and databases as required by the Head. This may include information about members of staff and pupils, so must be managed in accordance with data protection requirements 

• Assisting with the organisation of events, ensuring the events run smoothly and efficiently 

• Contributing to the positive promotion and marketing of the school in the local and wider community 

• In all aspects of the role, respecting the confidential and sensitive nature of the work of the office both within and beyond the school 

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Substantial senior secretarial and administrative experience, working in a complex environment and supporting at senior level. Previous experience within an educational environment will be desirable but is not essential 

• A positive outlook and a commitment to completing tasks to the highest standard 

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, along with a diplomatic and discreet outlook 

• Accuracy and thorough attention to detail 

• A pro-active approach to planning and prioritising work on their own initiative, as well as first rate organisational skills 

• The ability to maintain a high work rate and to cope with a range of tasks and competing priorities 

• Proficient use of Microsoft 365, desk-top publishing software, databases and management information systems and Google’s cloud-based G suite products 

• Knowledge and understanding of data protection matters including the GDPR 

• A willingness and ability to ‘roll up sleeves’ in an emergency along with a professional, unflappable and approachable demeanour 

• Excellent command of written and spoken English 

• A good telephone manner and the ability to deal with visitors and callers in a calm and courteous way 

• An enjoyment of working in the company of children and young people, and of participating fully in the life of the school, including attending the school for out-of-hours events at evenings and weekends 

• A high level of personal integrity, honesty, enthusiasm and stamina 

• A willingness to undertake all training required by the school including safeguarding training 

Benefits:

Key financial benefits of employment at PGS include a generous salary structure and leave allowance.  The pro-rata salary will be £20,807 per annum, to include holiday pay. This is calculated based on an annual salary of £24,152 for a year round role. Annual leave should usually be taken during PGS school holidays and not during term times. A two course lunch is provided to all staff during term time.

The school will auto-enrol eligible support staff into the NEST pension scheme and also offers an alternative pension scheme with Scottish Widows whereby if the employee contributes 6.5% of salary the school will contribute 8.5%.  We also have a non-contributory death-in-service policy.

How to apply:

PGS is committed to safeguarding children and the successful applicant will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure DBS check. 

Further information is available on the website at www.pgs.org.uk under the ‘About Us’ section and any queries regarding the vacancy should be emailed to HR@pgs.org.uk. 

An electronic application would be preferable, submitted to HR@pgs.org.uk

All applicants should complete a support staff application form, with a full curriculum vitae and a covering letter addressed to Mrs Amy Wilson-Smith, Head of the Junior School, The Portsmouth Grammar Junior School, High Street, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2LN.  Please include email addresses whenever available.  All applications should be accompanied by the names, addresses, email and telephone numbers of two referees. 

Candidates are also welcome to apply through the TES website using the application form linked to our PGS advert. 

The closing date is noon, 23rd June 2021 and early applications are encouraged. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview day on the school site which is scheduled to take place on 30th June 2021.

We look forward to hearing from you.